Appendix INorth American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC):North
American Conservation Action Plan: Released in
20053

Geographic Range

General:

Found worldwide
in all major oceans (Figure 1). The International Whaling Commission
(IWC) considers all the humpbacks in the North Pacific to be one
stock. For management purposes, the National Marine Fisheries Services
(NMFS) considers there to be three relatively separate populations
that migrate between their respective feeding and calving areas,
even though there is interchange among these regions. Those three
populations are: 1) Eastern North Pacific stock, which calves in
coastal Central America and Mexico and feeds between California
and southern British Columbia; 2) Central North Pacific stock, which
calves around the Hawaiian Islands and feeds off the coast of northern
British Columbia/Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound west
to Kodiak Island; and 3) Western North Pacific stock, which calves
off Japan and probably feeds in waters west of the Kodiak Archipelago.2

MBNMS:

This species is
sighted throughout the latitudinal extent of the MBNMS, but it is
most commonly observed in the northern portion of the MBNMS (including
Monterey Bay) and in the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank
National Marine Sanctuaries (Figure 2).4
This species is often sighted off Half Moon Bay.5

Figure 2. (Maps a-c) The density (animals/km2) of humpback
whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the Upwelling, Oceanic,
and Davidson Current seasons in central and northern California. (Map
d) Seasonal high use areas based on the synthesis of data from all
seasons. Densities are displayed in 10’x10’ cells; cell
that were surveyed, but had no humpback whales sightings, have a density
of zero; unsurveyed areas appear white. Blue lines indicate the national
marine sanctuary boundaries of Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones,
and Monterey Bay; the 200m and 2,000m isobaths are also shown in blue.Download full-size
figures (536 KB PDF).

Found primarily in coastal
and continental shelf waters (Figure 3). Also known to feed around
offshore islands (e.g., Channel Islands, Farallon Islands) and seamounts
(e.g., Pioneer Seamount). In some areas they must pass through deep
waters during migration.

MBNMS:

In the MBNMS, this
species is usually observed fairly close to shore over the continental
shelf and in the vicinity of the continental shelf break (Figure
2).4
This species is sighted most frequently at the shelf break edge.6

Figure 3. Sightings of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae
based on shipboard surveys off California, Oregon, and Washington
between 1991-2001. Dashed line represents the U.S. EEZ (exclusive
economic zone), thick line indicates the outer boundary of all surveys
combined (reprinted from Carretta et al. 2005; see Appendix 2 of that report for actual transect lines surveyed).2Download full-size
figures (536 KB PDF).

Studies tracking the movement
of members of the NE Pacific stock show that most individuals move
seasonally between mating/calving areas off Baja California, mainland
Mexico, and Central America and feeding habitats in California,
Oregon, and Washington.7
Humpbacks seen off Central America tend to be re-sighted off southern
California while those seen off Mexico tend to be re-sighted off
northern California, Oregon and Washington.7
Photo-identification and genetics studies verify a high degree of
site fidelity to feeding areas and some intermixing between the
wintering areas.8,9
These stocks are most clearly identified (and managed) based on
summer feeding location.

MBNMS:

Humpback whales
usually start to arrive in the MBNMS in April or May (Figure 2).
Foraging whales do not remain in Sanctuary waters over the entire
feeding season, but instead move frequently between prime feeding
locations along the California coast and sometimes travel as far
as Oregon and Washington.10
Although most humpback whales have left to return to calving areas
by late November (Figure 2), some individuals are found in California
waters, including the MBNMS, through the winter months.6

Humpback whales
in the entire North Pacific may have numbered approximately 15,000
individuals prior to exploitation.11
This number was probably reduced to fewer than 1,200 before commercial
whaling was prohibited by the IWC in 1966. Since 1986, sight/re-sight
data have been used to estimate population size for the NE Pacific
stock.12
These estimates indicate that the stock was growing at a steady
rate of 8% between 1991 (569 individuals) and 1998 (1,008 individuals)
(Figure 4). Then in 1999 and 2000, the estimates dropped to 706
and 765 individuals, respectively. In 2001, the population rebounded
to 987, which was similar to the estimate for 1998. The most recent
estimate, based on data collected in 2003, of 1,391 humpback whales
is about 400 animals higher than any previous estimate for this
stock.12

The reasons for the decreased population estimates in the two years
following the 1998 El Niño are not well understood. The most
likely explanation is that a drop in prey availability, due to the
severe El Niño, led to either increased over-winter mortality
rates, increased emigration from the study area, or both. The subsequent
population rebound to levels exceeding previous population estimates
appears to be due to increased levels of immigration into the study
period during the 2002 and 2003 feeding seasons. Calambokidis and
colleagues found that the percentage of previously unidentified
whales increased substantially in 2001, 2002 and 2003 (Figure 4)
and that the animals appear to be entering the area from the north.12
The population increase does not appear to be due to increased reproductive
rates – the percentage of calves in the population in 2003
(4.4%) is similar to past years.12

MBNMS:

Humpback whales are often the
most frequently sighted baleen whales in the Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary.4
This species can be sighted between April and November, but abundance
usually peaks in the summer and early fall (Figure 2). During upwelling
season (mid-March to mid-August) this species is most frequently
sighted in and around the northern portion of the MBNMS.4
The maximum percent of the NE Pacific stock that may be present
in the MBNMS at any one time is estimated to be =20-30%.6

Figure 4. Trends in humpback whale abundance for California to southern
Washington. The trend line is based on regression of log values (slope
reflects 6% annual increase). Also shown is the number of individuals
identified each year and the percentage of those individuals that
have only been seen in one year.12Download full-size
figures (536 KB PDF).

Entanglement
in fishing gear: No mortalities or serious injuries have
been observed from the CA/OR offshore drift gillnet fishery since
the Take Reduction Plan began in 1997. Incidental take may be occurring
in the drift gillnet fisheries for swordfish and sharks along the
Pacific coast of Baja California. One humpback whale stranded in
2000 near Moss Landing (in Monterey Bay) with synthetic line wrapped
around its flukes.2
In 2003, there were five separate reports of humpback whales entangled
in fishing gear along the California coast, but the final status
of these individuals is unknown.15

Collisions with ships: Off the U.S. west coast
between 1993 and 2000, ship strikes caused the deaths of at least
four humpback whales.2
Several humpback whales have been observed off California with large
gashes that may be caused by ship strikes.2
These numbers are likely to be underestimates of injury and mortality
as not all whale strikes will be reported and some dead whales may
sink instead of washing ashore.

Disturbance from whale watching activity: Whale
watching boats target humpback whales in many locations along the
California coast, including the Channel Islands, Monterey Bay and
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. There is some
evidence that closely approaching boats elicit reactions from humpback
whales, though some reactions are positive (e.g., approaching and
circling the boat) and some are negative (e.g., rapid diving, tail
slap).12
The presence of multiple boats at close proximity to the whales
or traveling at high speed through areas with a high density of
whales could be a cause of stress or injury.

Acoustic disturbance: There is concern about the
potential negative impacts to marine mammals (especially baleen
whales that use low frequency sound for communication) from a variety
of acoustic disturbances (e.g., noise from ships, aircraft, research
boats, and military and industrial activities).16
Noise can cause direct physiological damage, mask communication,
or disrupt important migration, feeding or breeding behaviors. Active-sonar,
specifically low frequency (100-500 Hz) and mid-frequency (2.8-3.3
kHz) active sonar used in military activities by the U.S. and other
nations, is one sound source of particular concern.16
The impacts of seismic testing for geological mapping and oil and
gas exploration are also unknown.

Habitat degradation: (e.g., chemical pollution,
oil pollution, coastal development): Any increase in offshore oil
and gas development would increase both the potential of an oil
or chemical spill and the amount of shipping traffic through humpback
whale habitat.

Declining prey resources: Could result from either
natural prey population fluctuations or commercial harvest of prey
species. Schooling fishes are often used for human consumption,
as bait, or as feed in mariculture facilities.

In 1966 humpback whales
in the North Pacific were given complete protection under the International
Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Humpback whales are listed
as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
and as "depleted" and a "strategic stock" under
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Under the ESA and MMPA,
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for
management and recovery of humpback whales in U.S. waters.

As required under the MMPA, NMFS annually updates the Stock Assessment
Reports for all strategic stocks. Current Stock Assessment Reports
are available on the NOAA
Office of Protected Resources website.
The MMPA also requires the formation of Take Reduction Plans to
reduce the incidental serious injury and mortality of marine mammals
from commercial fishing operations. In 1997 NMFS implemented a Take
Reduction Plan for Pacific Offshore Cetaceans to address incidental
takes of cetaceans, including humpback whales, in the California/Oregon
swordfish drift gillnet fishery. The plan included skipper education
workshops and required the use of pingers and minimum 36 feet extenders.
Since implementation, overall cetacean entanglement rates in the
California/Oregon swordfish drift gillnet have been substantially
reduced.17

As required under the ESA, NMFS assembled a recovery team to write
a recovery plan for this species. A recovery plan for the North
Atlantic and North Pacific populations was released in 1991.1
The key recommended actions were to:

identify essential habitat,

identify and minimize possible adverse impacts of human activities
and pollution on important habitat,

NMFS is responsible for implementing the actions recommended in
the recovery plan. NMFS scientists will complete some of the recommended
research while some research is completed by other groups, sometimes
with NMFS funding (see "Other" section below for a summary
of research projects completed by non-federal researchers). On-going
research projects by federal scientists include:

SPLASH
- Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance, and Status of Humpbacks:
(Jay Barlow, SPLASH Steering Committee representative, NOAA Southwest
Fisheries Science Center). SPLASH is an international collaborative
research effort to study humpback whales throughout their geographic
range in the North Pacific. SPLASH began in 2004 and will run through
summer 2006. The projects primary objectives are to:

provide a current estimate of overall abundance for the North
Pacific,

provide a better understanding of population structure and migratory
interchange using genetic markers and photo-identification,

SPLASH Collaborators: NOAA Southwest
Fisheries Science Center and the National Marine Mammal Laboratory;
National Marine Sanctuary Program, National Parks Service, Cascadia
Research; Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans; University
of Alaska; North Gulf Oceanic Society; and North Pacific Wildlife
Consulting. Funding sources: the Marine Mammal Commission, National
Marine Fisheries Service, National Marine Sanctuary Program, National
Park Service, Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Mexico
National Institute of Ecology. The National Marine Sanctuary Program
funds the US West Coast sampling effort.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) is one of eight
regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson
Fishery
Conservation and Management Act of 1976 for the purpose of managing
fisheries 3-200 miles offshore of the United States of America
coastline.
The Pacific Council is responsible for fisheries off the coasts
of California, Oregon, and Washington. In March 2006, the PFMC
adopted
Amendment 12 to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management
Plan (CPSFMP). This amendment adds krill to the species managed
under
the (CPSFMP), and prohibits harvesting krill in the Economic Exclusive
Zone off the west coast of the U.S. The amendment makes no provision
for future or experimental fisheries. The ban on krill fishing
protects humpback whales from competition with commercial fisheries
for krill
resources in federal waters.

MBNMS:

CSCAPE
– Collaborative Survey of Cetacean Abundance and the Pelagic
Ecosystem (Principal Investigator: Karin Forney, NMFS Southwest
Fisheries Science Center). CSCAPE is a collaboration between the
National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Marine Sanctuary
Program to assess the abundance and distribution of marine mammals
and to characterize the pelagic ecosystem off the U.S. West Coast.
The primary objective is to conduct a marine mammal assessment survey
out to a distance of approximately 300 nautical miles, with additional
fine-scale surveys within the NMS boundaries. A secondary objective
is to characterize the pelagic ecosystem within the study area,
through the collection of underway and station-based oceanographic
and biological data, seabird studies, and acoustic sampling. A final
objective is to conduct biopsy sampling and photo-identification
studies of marine mammal species of special interest. The first
surveys began in June 2005 and the program is scheduled to end in
December 2007.

Beach
COMBERS - Coastal Ocean Mammal and Bird Education and Research
Surveys (Project Leader: Hannah Nevins, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories).
In 1997 the MBNMS began a beach survey program using trained volunteers
to survey beached marine birds and mammals monthly at selected sections
of beaches throughout the Monterey Bay area. Currently, the program
monitors 45 km of beaches in the MBNMS. The program is a collaborative
project between MLML, MBNMS, and other state and research institutions,
with the specific goal of using deposition of beach cast carcasses
as an index of the health of the sanctuary. The Marine Mammal Health
and Stranding Response Program Network is notified of all stranded
or dead cetaceans so that data can be collected and the cause of
the stranding event determined.

State

General:

The California Department of
Fish and Game (CDFG) is not required to have research and monitoring
programs for humpback whales because this species is not listed
as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species
Act. However, under the ESA, CDFG is required to decrease or eliminate
negative impacts of state managed fisheries on humpback whales.
Based on strandings and gillnet observations, annual humpback whale
mortality and serious injury in California's drift gillnet fishery
is probably greater than 10% of the Potential Biological Removal
level.2
Take above 10% of the PBR is not allowed under the MMPA and efforts
should be made to reduce entanglement rates.

In 2000, the California state legislature passed the Strom-Martin
bill (A.B. 2482), which modified the California Fish and Game Code
to make it unlawful to take krill for commercial purposes from state
waters or land krill at any state port until January 1, 2011. In
2003, A.B. 1296 amended the Fish and Game Code (Section 8510) to
remove the sunset provision, thus making the prohibition on krill
fishing in state waters indefinite. This law protects humpback whales
from competition with commercial fisheries for krill resources in
state waters.

Other

General:

The World Conservation
Union (IUCN) lists the humpback whale as “Vulnerable”
worldwide. The humpback is listed under Appendix I of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which includes
species threatened with extinction and allows trade of Appendix
I species only in exceptional circumstances. In addition, this species
is listed under Appendix I of the North American Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), which includes migratory
species that have been categorized as being in danger of extinction
throughout all or a significant portion of their range.

Through the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
(CEC), the governments of Mexico, the U.S., and Canada are working
to implement some integrated conservation actions and management
plans for species of common concern that could benefit substantially
from cooperative efforts. In 2005, the CEC released the “North
American Conservation Action Plan” for humpback whale, which
identifies key tri-national collaborative conservation actions.3

The IWC was set up under the International Convention for the Regulation
of Whaling, which was signed in Washington D.C. on December 2, 1946.
The purpose of the Convention is to provide for the conservation
of whale stocks and the development of the whaling industry. The
IWC has prohibited the taking of humpback whales in the North Pacific
since 1966. Currently, the IWC has 57 member nations and all members
have agreed to uphold the prohibition on take of humpback whales.

TOPP - Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (Cetacean working group leader:
Bruce Mate, Oregon State University). The goal of TOPP is to understand
the migration patterns of large, open ocean animals in the North
Pacific. Satellite tags attached to humpback whales off California
are helping researchers determine diving patterns, migration routes,
and the location of feeding and breeding habitats. Collaborators
in the cetacean group include scientists from NMFS, UC Santa Cruz,
Cascadia Research, and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Source
of funding: U.S. Office of Naval Research, Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation.

Abundance, movement, and genetic population structure of humpback
whales off the U.S. west coast. Cascadia is the lead group conducting
photo-identification surveys and skin sampling for SPLASH in wintering
areas in Asia, the Mexican Pacific and the Central American coast
and summer feeding areas along the US west coast (California,
Oregon, Washington).

Many of the information
gaps identified in the 1991 Recovery Plan1
are being addressed by on-going research programs, especially the
SPLASH research project. Additional research programs focused on
humpback whales in the MBNMS could include:

Systematic, MBNMS-wide surveys to determine distribution
and abundance of humpback whales in Sanctuary waters and to identify
the location of important foraging habitat in the MBNMS.

Determine the impacts of various types of acoustic disturbance
that occur in the MBNMS.18,19

Identify regions and time periods when risk of ship strike is
greatest in the MBNMS. Explore ways to reduce injury and mortality
from ship strikes, such as regulatory changes or education outreach
efforts to reduce transit speed at times and in areas where humpback
whales are concentrated.

Reduce injury and mortality from entanglement in and ingestion
of marine debris, particularly abandoned fishing gear. Efforts
should include education outreach to the fishing industry, abandoned
gear recovery, and entanglement/stranding response teams.23

If certain acoustical disturbances are found to negatively impact
humpback whales, work to minimize those activities in the MBNMS.

4. National Centers for Coastal Ocean
Science (NCCOS) (2003) A Biogeographic Assessment of North/Central
California: To Support the Joint Management Plan Review for Cordell
Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, And Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries;
Phase I - Marine Fishes, Birds and Mammals. Prepared by NCCOS's Biogeography
Team in Cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program, Silver
Spring, MD. http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/products/canms_cd/

12. Calambokidis J, Chandler
T, Falcone E, Douglas A (2004) Research on large whales off California,
Oregon, and Washington in 2003. Annual Report for 2003. Prepared by
Cascadia Research for the Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

24. Perry SL, DeMaster DP,
Silber GK (1999) The Great Whales: History and Status of Six Species
Listed as Endangered Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Marine Fisheries Review 61:1-74. http://spo.nwr.noaa.gov/mfr611/mfr611.htm

References and Resources

Click here for images, reports, and links to other websites for this species.

Acknowledgement of Reviewers

Thank
you to John Calambokidis (Cascadia Research) and Don Croll (U.C.
Santa Cruz) for reviewing this report and providing helpful comments
and corrections.